Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — All public and private schools — elementary and high schools — as well as the American Samoa Community College are slated to re-open today, Monday, for in-classroom instruction. The hook is that all students who attend must have their first and second shots for measles.

However, Early Child Education (ECE) schools and daycare centers will remain closed.

Lt. Gov. Talauega Eleasalo Ale, in his capacity as Acting Governor, announced this decision during a cabinet briefing last Friday afternoon and it was based on data and recommendations from territorial Epidemiologist Dr. Scott Anesi as well as doctors from the Health Department and LBJ Medical Center, according to an ASG official who attended the briefing.

The ASG official, who spoke to Samoa News briefly over the weekend, said that DoH will push forward with the ongoing immunization campaign to include youngsters at ECE and daycare centers, who are not fully immunized.

And the decision on when they would reopen will be made later based on the vaccination coverage.

Samoa News notes that the DoH immunization team has been proactive with phone calls made to parents or contacts to bring their child or children in to be immunized against the measles.

The briefing , held at the local Homeland Security Department conference room, was to provide an update on the measles outbreak response as well as to prepare plans for possible reopening of schools. Presentations at the briefing included DoH and LBJ, according to the ASG official.

By late Friday afternoon into early evening, the local Education Department issued a public notice, that all public elementary and high schools would return to their campuses today, May 01 —  while ECE continues with virtual learning until further notice.

All schools had been ordered closed to prevent the further spread of the measles until May 10, while students use virtual learning for their classes.

Meanwhile, the latest data released last Thursday afternoon by DoH shows that there are now 50 probable cases of measles; while, there are still two laboratory confirmed cases.